


Meet me after school

by digitalsoop



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 11:43:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2347292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitalsoop/pseuds/digitalsoop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for tumblr user kaneladit. </p>
<p>Makoto has something important to tell Gou, and he doesn't seem happy about it. Gou isn't too happy about wondering what the bad news could be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meet me after school

Last summer after regionals Gou had been a mess. A good mess. A we-just-got-disqualified-from-regionals-but-my-brother-looks-like-his-old-self-and-Makoto-just-confessed-to-me-and-I-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-myself mess. A now-I-have-a-big-secret mess. Besides their parents, and Ren and Ran, they hadn’t told anyone else about the change in their relationship. They never talked about if or when they would tell anyone. Secrecy hadn’t been in their relationship agreement. Really, their relationship agreement consisted only of one part: We’re Dating. The rest came silently, mutually; a sign of a srong relationship to be sure.

Now with nationals on the horizon, and the end of the school year looming just a bit further ahead, the secrecy was only adding to her mess. Why had they decided to not tell their friends anyway? It definitely would have been a distraction at practices; she had been able to stay focused on school despite the ominous warnings against relationships she had heard from her teachers every year, but had the secrecy really helped? Maybe it had only hindered everything. Maybe that was why Makoto wanted to talk to her in private; why his eyes had darted and his shoulders had hunched, why his smile had been thin and tense.

How could a relationship grow if you never acknowledged it in front of others?

Her stomach had been in knots all day. Chigusa had questioned her, wondering if she was sick, or if she had slept well enough, and she responded incredulously when Gou inisted she was fine. “You almost walked into the wrong bathroom today.”

"Well we were talking—"

"And you bought a milk for lunch even though you hate it."

"See—"  
  
"You’re completely spaced out, Gou."

There was no point in denying the obvious, but she could avoid Chigusa’s earnest gaze. There was an explanation for this that wouldn’t reveal she had secretly been dating Makoto Tachibana for a year. She just had to think of it first.

Chigusa was thankfully patient; perfectly willing to stare up at her friend while leaning on the window sill, unbothered by other students walking by. They had been here, wondering about their lives as third years, when Makoto had walked into the counselor’s office and hadn’t even noticed she was there. His gaze had been so distant, his mouth twisted into a rare frown; for the first time the thought of becoming a third year made her heart jump then freeze in terror.

"I think something important is going to happen today." She pressed her hands against her skirt, looking down to note every tiny scuff in her school shoes. "I don’t want to jinx it, so I’ll tell you after, okay?"

Chigusa lifted her head, her hand flopping at the wrist. “Important? Does it have to do with the swim club? Or your brother? Did a famous coach contact them?” Each guess straightened her back and leaned her closer to Gou, until she finally had to hold up her hands to fend her off.

"I just said I didn’t want to jinx it! I’ll find out after school, and I’ll call right away, okay?"

She took a step back and put her hand over her heart, her gaze turning back to the window. “Now I’m nervous, too. The whole thing is kinda ominous,” she murmured. “Anything could happen. I almost wish I hadn’t asked!”

Gou leaned forward with a puff of laughter. The grass rippled in the breeze, a green ocean that she might have been able to touch if she was willing to lean out the window. Soon the leaves would change, the grass would be covered in snow, and then—inevtiably—spring would return. The leaves would come back. The grass would wave in the breeze again. She scratched at the windowsill, small chips of paint flaking away and scattering. What else would the spring bring?

"I think I need to walk around a bit." She brushed her hand against the wood and paint, turning away from the window. "You’re heading to calligraphy club, right?"

"Mhm. There’s still some time before the meeting starts, though. I didn’t think we’d finish our classroom duties so fast. Then again, when you’re impatient to go somewhere, you really fly." Chigusa grinned and stepped away from the window with her. "Keep me updated, okay? I want a minute by minute account of this mystery!"

Gou reluctantly promised she would do her best; she would be constantly checking the time on her phone anyway, so it wouldn’t hurt to send Chigusa a few messages, but there wouldn’t be much to tell her. It was more likely Gou would end up learning more about calligraphy club members than she really needed to know. At least it would be time spent where she wasn’t wondering about when Makoto would finish his classroom duties.

Even though she was already a second year, she hadn’t spent much time looking around the campus of their school. She was familiar with the spaces between the main building and the pool, and the short walk to her physical education classes, but there were definitely nooks and crannies among the trees that she wasn’t aware of. If there was no swim practice, being up on the roof or standing by an open window was usually the extent of her voluntary exposure to the outdoors while she was at school. Makoto was the opposite; he had been all over the campus, lounging around in all kinds of places that she would have never noticed.

She had grown to appreciate those places; out of the way and quiet; comfortable spaces where they could enjoy each other’s company as a couple, not just as a manager and a captain. Plenty of time had been spent sprawled out on the grass, talking, laughing, intently studying every expression and movement with the knowledge that this was no longer just Makoto, but her boyfriend Makoto. A Makoto she loved. A Makoto that liked to braid her hair, and sit with her in his lap so he could rest his head on her shoulder and close his eyes, talking in whispers and smiles and sighs. A Makoto that had something very important to tell her.

Something very important, and very ominous. She pressed her lower lip against her teeth, rubbing it against the rough edges until it started to tingle and go numb. How could it be this ominous?

"Gou! W-were you waiting here long?" Makoto jogged up to her, tugging at his tie and pressing a hand to his chest. He was panting, despite all of the endurance he had built up since last year. Had he sprinted?

"I was just walking, I didn’t really notice," she admitted. "Um, so, what did you want to tell me?"   
  
He nodded and took a deep breath, rubbing his hands against his school blazer. His shoulders hunched, he struggled to swallow, he cleared his throat. “You know, this is my last year at Iwatobi High School. It’s my last year in the swim club, too. Um, so, I’ve had to do a lot of thinking, because I’ll have to find a new—a new everything.”

"New everything?" Her breath was knocked out of her. Makoto raised his head and stared at her, his eyes wide and his eyebrows drawn together in worry. He took a step forward and grabbed her arms.

"It’s been really difficult for me to think about my future, but I think I’ve finally made my decision. It’s going to be hard. Really hard," he sighed and looked away from her. "But I know that this is going to be a good decision, even if it hurts."

"Makoto—" she closed her eyes and clenched her fists, bracing herself for the worst.

"I’m going to go to university in Tokyo," he blurted. "M-maybe even Todai, if I can do it. I’m not completely sure on what I’ll do when I get there, but I was talking with Miss Amakata and I think—I think I want to work with kids. Maybe I can be a teacher, or even a doctor! I have to try, so even though it means we’ll be far from each other, please, please support me as my girlfriend even when I’m gone."

Gou stared up at him, blinking back tears that had barely gotten a chance to even think of falling. “T-tokyo? Todai?” He nodded, his jaw firmly set and his eyes bright with determination. She wanted to fall to her knees. Instead she slumped against his chest and grabbed a fistful of his blazer. “Why did you make it seem like you were giving me bad news! I thought you were going to break up with me, geeze!”

"Huh?"

"Makoto, you should be happy you decided what you wanted to do—" she scowled and smacked his arm. "You really scared me!"

"S-sorry, I didn’t even think—it did seem really heavy, didn’t it?" He gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed his arm. Gou sighed and finally sank down into the grass. Makoto was quick to follow suit. "I just thought it was such a big deal, that I’d be going so far away for most of the year. I might not even be able to visit very long when we have breaks."

"Yeah," she drew her legs underneath her and tucked her skirt closer to her thighs, "that’ll be hard. But if you’re following your dreams, if you’re really giving it your all and making it worth it then it won’t seem so bad."

Makoto stretched out his legs and leaned back, using his large hands to support himself. He smiled, a bright, honest, earnest smile that lasted for only a moment. “You’re the first person I’ve told.”

"Not even Haruka?"

He shook his head and his smile became thin and tense. “I wanted to tell him. I’ve been trying to think of the best way, you know? Wondering if there’s a good time… but then I realized that if I told you, if I had your support, it might be easier.”

She smiled and leaned over to put her hand over his. She barely covered it, even with her fingers spread wide. “If you promise you’ll be there to support me after I graduate I’m spending hours studying anatomy—”

"Anatomy?"

"Yup! I’ve been thinking of being a massage therapist, or maybe even a rehabilitation therapist, so I’ll need to devote a lot of time to studying and I’ll always have to be up to date on any new methods—"

Makoto curled his fingers and laughed, flopping back into the grass. “You’re amazing.”

"So are you." She leaned over him and gave him a solemn look, her ponytail slipping over her shoulder. "I know you’re scared to tell him. But sometimes—sometimes secrets can do more harm than good. You shouldn’t leave him in the dark about this. This is a big step in your life, Makoto."

He stared up at her, his gaze distant and his mouth pulled into a tiny frown. His chest rose and fell with a faint sigh, and he nodded. “You’re right. Maybe I should tell him about us, too.”

"No need to pile it all on him at once," she tilted her head and scowled, "and besides I think Haruka figured it out a long time ago. He’s always asking if I want to play video games with you since he has other things to do."

They chuckled, and Makoto closed his eyes. Gou looked down at him in silence. His fingers twitched against her hand, and his mouth slowly pulled into an even deeper pout. She leaned closer, glancing up as his eyelids fluttered. He had asked for her support. As a girlfriend. So really, she was bending down to press her lips to his and savoring the moment of warmth for his sake.

"I’ll talk to him at the festival," he muttered against her lips.

She pushed her hair back over her shoulder and sat up. “Good idea.”


End file.
